Let's Hear It for the Girls!: Classic Tracks from the Queens of Swing has over two dozen clips that are absolutely extraordinary. The big trivia contest, though, is for you to figure out where, when, and how the music was made. This material is from a time when artists had to be always "on", strict guidelines for entertainment and performance, and proof here that a narrow path without much room for artistic freedom outside of those boundaries led to consistency. It means that when Helen O'Connell sings "When the Sun Comes Out", it's totally up to the performer to express through voice and facial expression, as there's no room elsewhere for her to alter the script. The audio is superb for the day - probably because some or most of these takes were from motion pictures now in the public domain - and how can watching Lena Horne and Ethel Waters not be a treat? The problem with the video is that there's absolutely no historical information, no liner notes, and the only extras are bonus performances from Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstine Orchestra, and Cyd Charisse with Stan Kenton - one lady out of the four "bonus" video clips is hardly presenting "The Queens of Swing". It's fantastic stuff from start to finish, but stringing 31 video tracks together without any narration or liner notes is frustrating. It's a great collection for those who want to sit back and enjoy stunning performances without too much identification on where they're from. A collection with the Andrews Sisters, Carol Stevens, Kathy Carter, and Doris Day is certainly a treat, but all these gifted performers deserve a little more attention and TLC when it comes to the packaging.
We use cookies to help you navigate our website and to keep track of our promotional efforts. Some cookies are necessary for the site to operate normally while others are optional. To find out what cookies we are using please visit Cookies Policy.